


Our Thoughts Are Stars

by kaazkiin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blade of Marmora Keith, Galra Keith (Voltron), Keith's Lack of Patience, Lance's Insecurities, M/M, POV Alternating, Semi-graphic violence, Slow Burn, lance worries about the team, male pronouns for pidge until she tells em she's a girl, not too angsty dw, tags will update as the fic goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-11-09 08:31:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11100819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaazkiin/pseuds/kaazkiin
Summary: Keith knows he belongs with the Blades of Marmora. So what's all the fuss over these Paladins of Voltron? And why does the blue one seem so fascinated with him?***Lance now has a proper place amongst his friends in Voltron. And then that purple ass shows up. But damn, he's certainly something.--Discontinued paladudes press F





	1. A Fire Will Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time publishing a multi chapter fic eyyyy
> 
> It's ya base AU of Galra/Blades of Marmora Keith interacting with regular ol' team Voltron. But here he meets them after being undercover as a Galra soldier. I don't have a complete set idea of how I want things to play out, but I work better when I wing it so
> 
> ... Also I have taken Plenty of creative liberties with Galra society, mostly language. I'm substituting in Skyrim's dragon language for most of it. You can hover over the words to see the translations, and they'll be in the end notes. Most of what's in this chapter is Keith swearing anyway
> 
> Speaking of chapters, this fic will have alternating povs between Keith and Lance. The start and ends will overlap at some points. All this chapter is Keith, next chapter is when everyone meets
> 
> I'm really not selling this fic well lmao, so I hope some people will find this enjoyable enough to stick around for. Feedback appreciated!!
> 
> Other links --  
> sta.sh/028kh8ox0bfh -- What Keith looks like in this fic (it won't link properly if I embed it)  
> [The song the chapter title is based off](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hIyz6yYBE8)

Keith often underestimated how lonely it could get in space.

Most times, he had the company of the Blades of Marmora. They were family. Friends. He was never alone. There was always somebody around, somebody to talk to, somebody who needed help. Keith didn't notice at the time, but that was comforting. That was home.

Now, he desperately wished he never took any of that for granted.

Lying low on a Galra war ship for countless phoebs, by himself other than the companionship of hostile Galra, was becoming difficult. With each passing moment, Keith got closer and closer to just snapping and quitting the mission. Patience didn't come easy to him, and the little he did have kept getting put to the test every time he had to associate with another Galra.

"A marvel, isn't it Yurak?"

Keith sucked on his teeth, side eyeing his fellow soldier. This one in particular was a pain in the ass. "Truly, Gartek. It's confusing how the Alteans, of all species, managed to create these."

Gartek let out a bellow of a laugh, gazing almost adoringly up at the massive robotic frame. As if he were benefiting from its capture, the arrogant maasofaniik. "True, true. They definitely wouldn't have completed them if we didn't choose to assist them."

The Red Lion of Voltron remained unmoving, sealed off in its round, impenetrable forcefield. It _was_ a sight, Keith had to admit, though he'd rather appreciate it somewhere less deadly. Anywhere aside from a Galra war ship would have been preferable.

Not a high ranking member, most likely due to him being a mix-breed, Keith was still a somewhat respected fighter pilot, and that got him places. Being trusted enough to see the Red Lion, that much attention was enough for him. It would be far too dangerous to draw too many stares. He got enough already, with his blotchy, balding fur and half furless tail.

This Lion better be worth the things Keith had to see and do. Listening to other Galra praise Zarkon like a deity, attacking innocent planets, _eradicating_ species that refused to bow, it all left a bad taste in his mouth and a stone in his gut. With each mission, keeping up his facade grew harder, annoying Galra aside. Keith didn't understand how any one of his species could stomach doing this and believe it was right.

Keith's acute hearing caught the sound of the Galra guards leave the room for a shift change. Now was his chance.

"Gartek, you're the expert on these Lions, correct?"

Flattery, the quickest way to this Galra's heart, Keith had learned. Gartek puffed out his chest, a smug grin spreading across his wide face. "Why, yes! What is it you'd like to know, Yurak?"

"I'm curious on why Emperor Zarkon is so keen on having them. Surely, they aren't so strong that they're a threat to his great empire?" Just speaking of that foul being made bile rise in Keith's throat, it was hard to force it back down. Gartek was, unfortunately, who he was closest to here, thus easiest to get information off. But he kept his fierce loyalty with Zarkon, Keith didn't want to tip him off by doing or asking anything too suspicious. Subtle curiosity seemed the best way to go, even if Keith just wanted to punch Gartek square in the jaw.

Gartek, ever oblivious, hummed in approval, folding his hands behind his back. "Well, individually, no, the Lions aren't strong enough to defeat our Emperor. It's when they come together, and form the legendary Voltron, where problems lie. It's the strongest weapon in the known Universe, and as disappointing as it is, we haven't been able to make anything to combat it."

"But with one piece taken away, Voltron is impossible." Keith faked a short laugh and hated himself for it. "And it's only a matter of time before out Emperor can gain the other Lions, and have this weapon for himself."

"Ah, Yurak, it'll be a joyous day indeed!" Gartek howled, clapping Keith's back. It took every shred of will Keith had to not wrench himself away and growl. "I should be off, Haxus wanted me to go over some details of the last planet we took over, you know how he gets."

With a roll of his eyes and a careless smile, the other Galra left, allowing Keith to breathe a little easier.

Now, the time had come to begin his proper mission. Getting the Red Lion.

He exited the hangar as discreetly as he could, paying no mind to the new guards that had taken up watch. They shut the large doors behind him without a word, not even looking his direction as they set up the locking systems. The trip stayed quiet, at most Keith got a nod of acknowledgement by passing soldiers. Thankfully. Walking anywhere on the war ship for too long made Keith jittery, either out of nerves or anger.

Just as Keith started considering abandoning discretion for this particular part of the mission, he finally arrived at the secondary control room. He waited around a corner for the guard shift to rotate before sneaking in, ears angled outwards to try and catch suspicious sounds, anything that would indicate someone lingered in the area. Only the metallic clanking of some drones were loud enough for him to catch, so he figured he was in the clear for now. Until the new guards took their place outside anyway, he needed to be quick. Explaining why a fighter pilot was in a control room wasn't something Keith knew how to answer.

The discharge device hummed in his suit, and he took care in extracting it from his sleeve, Kolivan's words echoing in his mind.

_'Attach this to the eastern control panel. In quarter of a varga, it will activate, and take out most of the power in its sector, including the locking systems to the doors where the Red Lion is. You will not have long to get to the Lion before the security systems get rebooted, and Sendak finds out he's been sabotaged.'_

The control room he stood in was located at the top of the ship. The Lion rested in a hangar on the opposite far end. And on top of that, Keith didn't know how to get the damn Lion out of its forcefield. Not even the druid Sendak employed figured out how to get it down, what hope did Keith have? _Especially_ on a time constraint?

Keith sighed. He wasn't the one for this mission, and he knew it. There were Blades who were far more patient and tactical than he, not as quick to acting on gut feeling. But Keith was far, far too close to his goal to think about stopping now. At this point, it was all or nothing. The Blades of Marmora needed the Red Lion, and this could be the only shot any of them would have at getting it before it reached Zarkon.

The device beeped and Keith shook his head to snap out of his thoughts. Doubt wouldn't help him now. Time was the most important thing he had with him, it wasn't smart to waste it. Keith bent down, leaning under the control panel to fasten the device as far back as he could reach so it couldn't be seen. It clicked into place once he released the latch on the back, sticking tightly to the cool metal.

Quarter of a varga.

That's all he had now.

_Draaf ausul_.

As soon as the device left his hand, Keith sprang up, sprinting from the control room and down the hall, praising every god he ever heard of after noticing the lack of drones and soldiers around. Although if there were none there when he left, it was a certainty he'd be running into some soon.

He almost crashed into walls three times, using them to help him turn down corridor after corridor without losing speed. Going back the way he came took longer to reach the hangar, and right now, any ticks he managed to save could be the difference between this mission's success or failure.

The archway into the prison hall forced him to slow to a more orderly march upon hearing hushed voices, the guards on duty going quiet and straightening as he entered.

_Draaf_ , the prisoners. Part of this mission included freeing any captives the Galra had, if possible. It _was_ possible, but Keith still contemplated whether to leave them behind or not. Already pressed for time, he didn't need the pressure of making sure all the unimportant prisoners stayed safe when half of them were most likely injured and couldn't fight.

The guards saluted Keith, and he gave them a nod as he walked past the cells.

Although, the escape pods wouldn't be too far if he took the prisoners toward the main cockpit...

Keith growled. His identity as a spy would be compromised, and shorten the little time he already had to retrieve the Red Lion.

But damn, he might as well try. After all the races he had to kill under the guise of being loyal to Zarkon, he owed them this.

"You!" Keith sneered, swinging around to the closest guard. The Galra immediately stood straight in a shaky salute.

"Y-Yes, sir?"

"Open the cell. I have... more questions for these prisoners." Keith hoped the pause wouldn't be taken as a weakness. Being a mix-breed, a lot of Galra took any opportunity to threaten Keith and try and 'put him in his place', as one had called it. He refused to have any of that here. Not now.

The guard swallowed thickly. "... About?"

Keith grabbed the front of his armour and slammed him against the wall, with enough force to almost dent the metal. The Galra grunted in pain, looking desperately towards the other guard for any assistance, but she stayed staring ahead, weapon not even raised. "You _dare_ question me?" Keith spat, leaning in close to the guard's armoured face. "Don't think you can talk down to me when you're barely above a drone!"

The other Galra wasn't holding himself up anymore, the force of Keith pinning him to the wall enough to make him wobble on his feet. "S-Sir, I meant no disrespe-"

"Then open the door. _Now_." Keith growled, dropping his arm. The guard spluttered for a moment, staggering back to his feet before hurrying to the scanner to unlock the cell door. Keith glared at him as he walked past, shooting the look to the other guard too, in case she got any ideas. His irritation became real at this point, instead of being part of his act.

How _dare_ they think they can question him like that. Keith had earned his place as a Galra worthy of some respect, but all the other soldiers saw was a whimpering half-breed who was only on the ship because some higher-up pitied him enough.

The doors slammed behind him, leaving Keith surrounded by wide eyed, shaking prisoners in a dimly lit room. The largest one, a red Daedroth, limped between him and the other captives. The remaining aliens were backing against the far wall as much as they could, clutching desperately onto one another. It hurt to watch them cower, but he couldn't blame them, considering the circumstances. Keith didn't speak, not yet, ears raised to listen for any movement from the guards.

"What you want now." The Daedroth rumbled, trying to stand tall on an obviously broken leg without showing any signs of pain. They were far larger than Keith - as most aliens were - more than willing to strike at any moment if Keith decided to make a move for them.

Keith strained to hear anything from outside. The guards wouldn't be able to hear him from in the cell as long as he didn't raise his voice too much. Designed to keep sound in, during the times they had particularly rowdy prisoners who wouldn't bend. The downside, of course, being that the sound block went both ways, making it hard for even Keith's exceptional hearing to catch anything.

The Daedroth started talking again, but Keith wasn't focused on it. "I'm sorry if I scared any of you." He said, trying to keep his voice quiet and calm. The prisoners all paused, looking at him in confusion and apprehension. "I'm escaping this ship soon and if you want to escape too, you'll do what I say when I say it."

"How do we know that's the truth?" The tall orange alien asked, wringing all their hands together in nervousness. It took a while before they gathered the courage to look at him, their shaking visible. "That this isn't some Galra trick?"

"What would me or the other Galra get from this?" Keith's patience quickly began wearing thin. He didn't have the damn _time_ to stand and argue. If he wanted to speed things up, he needed a reason for them to believe him. And it had to be a damn good one.

Without thinking, Keith bent down, shoving a hand into his boot to pull out his Marmora Blade, the silver almost glowing in the dark as he held it out for them to see. "Is this enough of a reason to get you to trust me with this?"

The quad armed alien, the Tetrao, gasped, loosening their grip on their fellow prisoner. "That's the insignia for the Blades of Marmora... This one is telling the truth."

"Blades of Marmora?" The Daedroth turned to ask. "That them Galra rebels?"

Keith breathed heavily through his nose. Focus. "Yes, that's us. Look, we don't have long until I get found out, and if that happens, we're all in danger. Pretend your hands are tied, follow me, and keep quiet. I'll lead you to the escape pods." The prisoners all looked at each other, before rising to their feet and shuffling closer to him. It was a relief for Keith to see them all up with little trouble, aside from the Daedroth, none seemed too injured, nothing that would slow them down much. The sooner he got the prisoners to the escape pods and set them off to safety, the sooner he wouldn't have to concern himself with looking out for them, and he could put all his focus on getting the Red Lion.

Keith slipped the blade up his sleeve - he'd be needing it soon, he felt - and turned to get the door open, when a hand on his shoulder made him freeze. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Tetrao giving him a weak smile. "Thank you, Blade of Marmora." Keith remained silent, offering a slight nod in response as he stepped over to the cell door. Sincerity was rare to come by here, Keith wasn't used to hearing it.

A small panel hidden away on the wall half under a light fixture, easy to spot if you knew where to look, held the controls for the intercom. It was purely for soldiers' use when interrogating prisoners, if the cell door had to remain shut. Keith hovered a hand over it to activate it, pressing the switch that allowed the intercom to flicker to life.

"Guards. Open the door. _Now_."

He took his hand off the button before either of them could respond, not wanting to listen to them any more than he had to. "Are you all ready?" He asked the captives without turning around, only getting a few quiet murmurs of affirmation. The door soon slid open, both guards prepared in the doorway to stop any possible escapes, guns held at the ready.

"Did they give you any trouble, sir?" One asked, looking a little too trigger happy for Keith's tastes.

Keith raised his chin, looking down at the guards, in an effort to intimidate them. Getting past them without giving them reason to suspect anything would be difficult, if he wasn't believable. Intimidation would be the most effective way to keep them quiet.

"No, but they weren't giving me the answers I need, so I'm taking them elsewhere."

One guard frowned, attempting to peer over Keith at the prisoners without getting noticed. The other looked confused, before realisation seemed to dawn on her. "Ah, yes. Somewhere they may be more... willing to tell us what we want to know." She grinned, almost sadistically. "Of course. Don't have too much fun, they need to be kept alive. For now."

Both guards moved, returning to their original posts outside the beginning of the prison hall. After gesturing for the captives to come out, sending them an apologetic look as he shouted at them to get moving, Keith began down the corridor, walking as fast as he dared. He could feel the guards' stares still on them, waiting for any reason to come scampering down. And while being quick was favourable right now, Keith couldn't just break into a run. The captives couldn't keep up, and the possibility of being stopped by questioning Galra soldiers would be high enough already. The Daedroth was injured, but pride would keep them from admitting it, and the smaller prisoners were scared enough to make them lag behind.

A fair bit of time remained before the discharge went off and took out the eastern sector's power. The escape pod bay was still far, and Keith didn't know if he contained the patience or control to keep his act up long enough for the prisoners to get away safely. He would be risking so much if he got found out now.

Despite the slow pace, Keith felt breathless.

Once they got closer to the main cockpit, Keith heard voices and his stomach sank. The other aliens heard them too, and all stumbled closer together, as a Galra soldier and two drones came into view. Keith growled low in his throat, instantly recognising the air of superiority that this particular soldier carried around at all times.

"Haxus." He said, squaring his shoulders, eyes straight ahead of him. If he didn't make a scene, just maybe he and the captives would come out of this interaction unscathed.

"Yurak." The Galra replied curtly, his presence taking up the whole width of the corridor, giving Keith little option but to stop. "Why have you removed the prisoners from their cells? Feeling sorry for them, are you, mix-breed?"

Keith clenched his jaw. More often than not, he took the bait Haxus threw at him. How could he not? The other Galra seemed determined to get under Keith's skin at any given opportunity. Whether Keith's heritage gave Haxus justification, or just because he was a cruel firok, Keith wasn't sure. It didn't matter now.

Behind him, one of the captives whimpered, and the Daedroth let out a low rumbled growl. "I was informed that Commander Sendak wanted to question them again. About the ones that escaped."

Haxus raised an eyebrow, the action somehow making him look more assertive. "Commander Sendak isn't here at the moment. He went with some fighters to investigate readings of rebels on a nearby planet."

"And he wants these prisoners ready for when he returns. So unless you want to take them yourself, I suggest you move aside."

Both Galra stared each other down, gold eyes unblinking. Anger swelled in Keith's chest at the challenge, at Haxus thinking he could subdue him. He pinned back his ears, lip curling in a snarl, the other doing the same. They were both regular soldiers, neither held rank above the other. No universe existed in which Keith would bow to Haxus' attempt at dominance.

The drones behind Haxus raised their guns, sensing the growing hostility. Keith didn't care. He'd stand there for however long it took for Haxus to realise he wasn't giving in.

Pure satisfaction filled Keith when Haxus's gaze briefly flicked away.

"Tch, fine. If you're so insistent, Yurak." He scoffed, pushing past Keith by forcefully shoving his shoulder into him. He didn't look back as he walked down the hall, the drones rushing to place behind him. Keith spat after him, tail flicking in agitation. Haxus wouldn't dare try to test him again.

"... Y-Y-Yurak?"

The small, scratchy voice from the yellow Ordata made Keith jump. The prisoners looked astonished, crouched against each other, trembling. Keith took a moment to calm himself, to stop the victory over Haxus clouding his thoughts. "My apologies. Let's go."

The rest of the way to the escape pods only had the resistance of drones, and they were loyal to any Galra soldier with the right rank. Passing the hovering security bots was easy too, only needing a quick identity scan before they could continue. Keith hadn't been keeping track of time, but he figured he didn't much longer until his device activated, and he'd be fighting for his life. Walking at a normal pace on the ship took far, far too much time.

"The pods are already programmed to stay on autopilot." Keith explained, placing his hand over the pod controls to open one for the captives. "Just change the coordinates once you're inside to get somewhere safe. I believe Arus is the closest planet to our current location, but still a fair distance away."

"We cannot thank you enough." The Tetrao said, sounding close to tears as they grasped Keith's hands. It took everything in him not to flinch away. The action came from kindness and gratitude, not anything dangerous. "Because of you, we'll have our lives back."

Keith didn't say anything, merely waited for them all to get safely in the pod before shutting the doors and ejecting it. The Ordata and Daedroth waved through the window, before the pod blasted from the ship and into the expanse of space.

Soon after, he heard an alarm outside the bay go off, and he swore at himself. He forgot that unauthorised pods gave an alert to the cockpit. Drones would be swarming the room in no time in response, see the missing escape pod, and the aliens would get captured _again_.

The only shot he had at saving them would be to get to the Red Lion. If he managed it, the ship would focus on getting the Lion back, rather than tracking down a couple of lowly prisoners. Especially with news of the Blue Lion attacking another war ship - the prospect of catching two of the Lions was something the Galra would find hard to ignore.

Keith wasted little time sprinting back into the hall, waiting until the bay doors closed before encrypting the locking panel so no drone would have the authority to open it. A nearby hatch would serve as his escape route, keeping him out of sight in the unused passages of the ship. He'd already taken care of the locks on it at an earlier date, flipping it open and diving inside, closing it just in time to avoid the stream of drones that thudded down the corridor to him.

The passages were wide enough for him to have enough breathing room, but not so much in height, forcing Keith to crouch his way through to the exit hatch. It would leave him near the cockpit, probably the most dangerous spot to land, but it was the closest exit had to get to the hangar where the Red Lion resided.

The noise of the alarm faded fast as Keith progressed, and he desperately wished it could cause enough of a commotion for light noises behind walls to go ignored, although he didn't hold out much hope for it. By the time he reached his stop, the alarm was almost nonexistent, and Keith didn't even think before kicking the hatch out of place, and hurling himself out of it.

Right into a small group of drones.

The hatch door knocked over one, and Keith landed on top of a second, leaving three left for him to face. And as badly as he wanted to knock them out, he pulled himself back, taking off down the hall to the hangar. Any possible chance of him remaining undercover were crushed now, there'd be no feasible reason as to why he was in the hidden passages.

The drones barrelled on behind him, and he heard the shouts of proper soldiers, warning others of a traitor. Between the sounds of the drones' guns blasting behind him, the shouting, and the high pitch of a brand new alarm, Keith couldn't hear himself think.

But something strong and warm inside him told him to _run_.

Then, just as suddenly as the alarm started, it stopped. The lights in the corridor flickered before shutting off, leaving them all in a darkness only broken by the glow of Galran armour visors. The drones paused, the outage blessedly affecting them, and Keith used that break to get away, bright yellow eyes easily capable of piercing through the dark. With the drones out of commission, for now, at least, there'd be less opposition on his way to the Lion.

Proper soldiers were after him now, and despite Keith's legs and lungs screaming at him to stop, he pushed on, faster and faster, round the last corner to the hangar. The doors were in the process of closing, due to lockdown protocol in the case of a power outage, and Keith guessed he only had a small window to get this right.

He made it to the doors when they were a quarter of the way open, barely managing to swing his body to the side in order to slip through. The bang of the doors slamming shut, following by the muffed, angered yells and bangs from the soldiers gave the indication that none were able to follow him. Two guard drones inside were frozen, powerless on the ground, and Keith didn't hesitate to stomp their heads in before falling in exhaustion. The thudding on the walls sounded like it was directly hitting his skull, but Keith didn't care about the Galra anymore - something else demanded his attention.

Down on his knees, struggling to draw breath, Keith stared up at the massive build of the Red Lion of Voltron, suspended almost lifelessly in its forcefield.

Just the sight of it made him feel... different. Safer, despite the fact his imminent death stood just outside the room.

"Alright, Red Lion." Keith panted, slowly managing to get to his feet despite all his leg muscles aching. Kolivan told him the Lions of Voltron were sentient, in some ways. Keith took that as they were living things themselves, similar to Galra drones but more intelligent. With any luck, it could understand him. Otherwise, this would be very, very awkward. "I'm Keith, of the Blades of Marmora. Lower your forcefield so I can free you from the Galra, and from Lord Zarkon."

The Lion didn't move.

"... Please?"

Keith swore he could feel its dark eyes on him, not looking at him, but looking _through_ him. And instead of that feeling like a test of his strength, it made _him_ feel like he had something to prove to the _Lion_.

That... didn't feel as wrong as he thought it would.

Whatever hold the Lion had on Keith dulled his senses, made him feel like it was only he and it together in the nothingness of the galaxy. He didn't feel out of breath anymore, if anything, he felt stronger. And the Lion looked far closer, like he could stretch out and touch it...

Like the light of a fire, Keith's true location started flickering back in, until he began blinking away what seemed like fog, suddenly remembering where he was and what he needed to do.

"Red Lion, please! There isn't much time!" Keith shouted, stepping toward the forcefield. He lifted a hand to touch it, push it, feel around for any sign of a defect that would allow him to get in. The almost gelatinous surface of the forcefield didn't budge at all. Neither did the Lion.

"Yurak, malur do draaf vax! Open the door!"

The voice of a Galra soldier cut through Keith like a knife, and with a panicked grunt he turned around. The lights blinked back on, and the doors slowly began opening.

He ran out of time.

The Lion hadn't moved an inch, and he now had no way of escape.

_Draaf. Draaf. Draaf_.

"Gah, damn it, Lion! I'll come back for you later!" He yelled, slipping his dagger from his sleeve. If he could make it back to the docking bay and take an escape pod, he might survive long enough to send a message back to the Blades' headquarters. Soldiers pried the door opened with enough force to bend it, allowing drones and soldiers alike to flood the room, all prepared to attack.

The sudden weight of mortality came bearing down on Keith. He wasn't making it out of this alive. He failed his mission, failed keeping a Lion of Voltron from Zarkon.

But at least his time on a Galra war ship gave the Blades invaluable knowledge about how the ships worked, what the Galra were after, and the true importance of the Lions. And it would be worth it.

After all, knowledge or death.

Keith threw his arm out, the dagger extending to its full length of a sword, purple runes glowing bright, like the weapon knew of the battle to come, and it needed its thirst for blood quenched.

_Knowledge or death_.

Pinning his ears back, Keith hissed and ran to the nearest drone, slashing its legs clean off before it had time to retaliate. The other Galra quickly realised this meant he wouldn't give himself up like this, and surrounded him, beginning to close in after Keith took out another two drones.

They wouldn't kill him. They'd take him in a prisoner. To Zarkon himself.

_Knowledge._

_Or._

_Death._

Keith wouldn't be going down without a fight.

Fortunately, all these Galra had were guns, and Keith had a sword. He heard of the odd saying of 'don't bring a knife to a gun fight', but here, in close quarters, even outnumbered, Keith had the advantage.

"Yurak, drop your weapon. Now!" One of the soldiers yelled, hefting her rifle up to aim at Keith's head.

Keith turned his harsh stare on her. He still held the body of one of the drones, and with little effort, he lifted it and swung it in an arc, knocking some Galra off balance before throwing the hunk of metal into the remaining soldiers. One Galra still stood tall, quivering as he held up his gun. Keith took one last look at the Red Lion, gaining some strength from it, before charging, shoving the soldier out of the way before exiting the hangar.

More Galra and drones had gathered outside, and Keith, still high on the exhiliration of battle, merely fought through them all, cutting down robots and Galra alike. Blood splattered his face and armour, but his eyes were set on the hallway beyond them.

The soldiers he previously knocked over had recovered, wise enough to not try and fight him head on, and shot at him from behind. Keith was nimble enough to dodge most hits, but one shot to his back slowed him enough for more to follow. The pain felt nonexistent, and Keith didn't think of that not being right, continuing on his path. Like a feral Wamasu, he carved through his opponents with his teeth bared, ignoring hits as if they bounced off a scaly hide.

Then Keith saw him.

A large shadow cast over the corridor, making Keith and the other Galra freeze. A red cybernetic eye bore into him, and suddenly Keith felt very small.

Sendak.

Keith had started believing he had a chance to maybe get off the ship alive. What happened afterwards, he didn't think about. His only wish was to die away from the ship. But now that the Commander had returned, it didn't look like he'd be getting it. At least he wouldn't be meeting Zarkon. The pain from all his injuries, severe burns and deep gashes, started setting in, and Keith knew it was over.

Until a loud roar broke through his mind.

It wasn't just in his head, the other Galra had heard it too. Keith whipped his head around, and dropped the soldier he had been in the process of beating. Instead of seeing the hangar itself, or a floor of destroyed drones, a large, metallic head blocked the way.

The Red Lion.

Just seeing it again gave Keith the strength to drive his sword through the Galra below him. Blood spurted up onto his face, and he turned to give Sendak a sharp, defiant glare. While giving the Commander a clear shot of just who defied him probably wasn't the greatest idea, Keith felt reckless and emotional enough to do it. And judging by the expression of pure fury, it acted like a spit in the face, and Keith felt better about it.

The battle around him seemed to slow when Keith ran toward the Lion, a burning heat erupting in his chest that only grew stronger the closer he got.

Once Keith reached the door, the Lion opened its massive jaw, and unleashed a concentrated beam of red hot energy. Even wedged in the corner, Keith could still feel the heat, and had to shield his eyes from the blazing light. Some Galra managed to dodge, barely throwing themselves against either wall to avoid certain death. Most of the drones weren't as lucky, melting before the beam had a chance to hit them.

In the shock that followed the attack, the Lion lowered a ramp in its mouth, and Keith took that as a hint to go in, not questioning the fact that he just ran _directly into the mouth of a giant robot_. After being lifted into a small cockpit, Keith barely had a chance to fall into the control seat before the Lion surged up. It ran for the far wall, and Keith could only sit and watch in awe as it fired another beam right at it, melting away at the stucture. Without slowing, it body slammed where the attack hit, easily breaking through into empty space.

Keith wanted to turn around, see the aftermath of the ship being suddenly depressurised before blasting off. The Lion must have sensed this, and once out far enough, spun around - only to fire another beam from its mouth, sending it in line across the sides. Parts of the ship exploded, and that's the last view Keith got of it, before the Lion turned and flew away at full speed.

"Well, you listened to me after all, huh?" Keith murmured. A low, almost offended sounding purr floated through his mind, and he laughed. It felt weird, hearing the Lion 'talk'. It felt more like thoughts were being put in his head, giving him ideas of what the Lion felt rather than complete words.

Keith stood up to adjust his seating in the chair, and reached down for his right boot. In the back of the heel, he felt around for his jamming device, eyes closing in relief after feeling it still locked in place. He used it on the war ship to conceal any contact he had with the Blades of Marmora. With any luck, the jammer would be able to block his and the Lion's location from Sendak. Keith doubted he didn't have some way to track the Lion; even with the damage done to the ship, there wasn't a way to tell if he would come after it or not.

"You got any way for me to communicate with others, Lion?" Keith asked, his sword going dormant and condensing in size, its bloodlust sated.

A questioning rumble was all he got in response, but a few holoscreens opened on the control screen. The chair moved closer on its own, to Keith's surprise, and he spent a while tapping away at different buttons and settings, trying to get familiar with the foreign technology. The Lion knew some of what to do, and that helped Keith greatly, but it didn't have a clue on how to connect to the small, far off audio channel Keith needed.

Just as Keith resigned in pain and frustration, his desperate button mashing gave him the screen he needed, and he weakly entered the codes for the Blades' encrypted audio channel. Now, he just had to wait and see if the Lion had the ability to contact it.

_"...th? Keith? Is that you?"_

Staticky and quiet, but it was more than enough. A weight felt like it had been lifted from Keith's shoulders.

"Kolivan?"

_"Finally."_ Kolivan sounded relieved, a rare emotion to pry from him. _"I had not heard from you in a while. I was concerned you were caught."_

Keith choked out a dry laugh, slumping down in his seat, letting his Marmora Blade fall on the floor. "Almost."

_"You have the Red Lion?"_

"I do. Not easy, but I got out. Saved the prisoners too."

_"Excellent, Keith. There are no words to describe how much of an advantage this gives us over the Empire."_

"Considering how much the soldiers fought to keep it, I have an idea of how important this hunk of metal is."

A warning growl. Keith snorted.

_"How did you escape with the Lion?"_

"I'm in it."

The line went quiet for so long, Keith worried it disconnected. He sat up, wincing at the way his injuries seemed to pulse with each movement, about to try and reconnect to the channel.

_"... Please repeat that."_

"Kolivan?" Keith's concern only worsened. Did he do something wrong? "I'm in the Red Lion. Is that... Was I not meant to do that?"

_"No, no. As long as you got out safe with the Lion, you did as instructed, but... Keith, do you know the full legend of the Lions of Voltron?"_

Keith thought for a moment, frowning. "The Lions are piloted by beings known as Paladins, and when fighting together, they can form the giant robot called Voltron. What more is there?"

Both Kolivan and the Lion made noises that sounded equal parts fond and unimpressed.

_"Keith, the Lions do not let just anybody in to pilot them."_

"What do you mean?"

_"They choose Paladins based on certain qualities, and only allow those people to fly them. The Red Lion has chosen you, and only you, to be its Paladin."_

A resounding purr of affirmation. Keith's brain stopped working.

"... So what does this mean for me?"

_"Aside from you now being a Blade of Marmora, you are now a Paladin of Voltron. You will need to find the other Lions and their Paladins. Keith, this is a huge step in liberating the Universe from Zarkon's grasp."_

"But what if he already has the other Lions? What if they don't have Paladins? We only know the Galra are aware of the Blue Lion since they didn't know where it was-"

_"Since when have you ever dwelled on the what ifs, Keith?"_ Kolivan made a noise that sounded almost like a laugh, which is when Keith knew something in his life just changed dramatically. _"If that is the case, we will just have to find the rest ourselves. For now, trust your Lion. It will never steer you wrong."_

"... Alright, Kolivan."

_"Good. You have done an amazing job, Keith. I trust I will be getting more regular updates from now on?"_

"Yes, of course."

_"Then go, Paladin of the Red Lion. Find the others. Voltron is the key in defeating Zarkon."_

The audio channel cut off with a high pitched beep.

Keith let his head loll to one side, staring at the control panel.

"So... this is happening now. Paladin of Voltron... I'm not sure about you picking me as yours, honestly, but thank you... for saving me."

It still felt awkward talking to nobody. A comforting warmth spread through Keith's belly, starting to numb the pain from his wounds. _Someone_ was listening, at least. With a relaxed sigh, Keith shut his eyes, letting the Red Lion take him wherever it felt it needed to go.

"... Do you even know where to go?"

The warmth stopped suddenly, making Keith groan when his pain flared back up.

"Alright, alright, point taken."

\--

_"... lo? Hello? Red Paladin, are you there?"_

The sudden voice awoke Keith, and in a slight lapse of memory, he jolted up, banging his knee on the side of the control panel, the pain soon soothed by a warm glow that kept changing in intensity.

Somehow, Keith felt that was the Lion's way of laughing at him.

"Ow, yes, hello?" Keith grunted, rapidly blinking his eyes to clear the sleep from them, so he could actually see where the Lion had taken him. Nothing but green fields and blue lakes. Those... Those were familiar to him. How, he didn't know.

_"Oh, excellent! Hello, Paladin!"_ The voice, feminine, said excitedly. _"We thought the Red Lion had been lost, but not only have we found her, we have her Paladin too! What is your name?"_

"Keith." He said, before actually thinking that this could possibly be a trick or a trap.

_"It is an honour to meet you, Keith. I am Princess Allura of Altea."_

That made Keith wake up pretty damn fast. "Altea? But- How? That planet got destroyed deca-phoebs ago."

_"Yes, but..."_ Allura trailed off, sounding fond and sad at the same time. She cleared her throat, back to sounding professional. _"We have many things to discuss, Keith. Please, land your Lion so we all may meet."_

"'All'?"

_"Yes, the other Paladins of Voltron."_

Keith almost choked on his breath. Already, all the Lions and Paladins were found? If Kolivan sounded happy about one Lion being taken away from Zarkon, he would be ecstatic to find out that all of them were together. Well, ecstatic in his own way. He took a tick to compose himself before replying to the Princess.

"I'm not really flying the Lion, if I'm being honest. It flew me here on its own. It was... a tough battle, getting this thing out from a Galra war ship."

Keith swore he heard multiple people gasp and splutter from Allura's audio channel.

_"What!? The Galra had the Red Lion!?"_ A new high pitched voice asked.

"Well, not anymore. Uh, hang on, I think the Lion's coming down."

From the downward angle, Keith gaped at the view of a huge, white castle. In all his life, he had never seen anything as bright. The tip of the centre tower glowed in response to them getting closer, sending out a wavelength of energy. Keith felt it, rather than saw it.

It felt like he was coming home.

The Lion flew lower, heading for the wide bridge leading up to castle, and as they approached, Keith could see six figures bounding outside. Waiting for his arrival. If these people were Altean, how would they feel about a Galra arriving with one of their Lions? Keith didn't expect positive reactions, not that he could really fault them for perceiving him as a threat.

But they'd just have to deal with it, if Kolivan was right about the Lions of Voltron being picky about who they let pilot them. He had joined their ranks, now one of the few beings in the universe who had the power to fight Zarkon.

A deep rumble of agreement came from the Lion. It landed in what appeared to be a courtyard, far from the Alteans, thick metal claws scratching at the stonework as it settled rather ungracefully on the ground. Keith watched them walk closer, apparently eager to meet him. For now.

Strangely, only two looked Altean - the Princess, and a man with reddish hair on his head and face. The others didn't have the markings or pointed ears. And even stranger, he recognised their species somehow. _Humans_. He had no memory of ever meeting them, but deep down, he just _knew_. He frowned. Just like his familiarity with the lush greenery of the planet.

Without warning, the Lion dropped its head, a force seeming to nudge Keith to stand. Taking a deep breath, Keith stepped around the chair, refusing to let the pain from his wounds be an excuse to slow him. The Lion released the ramp, opening its mouth for him to walk out. And he did, slowly, holding onto his ribs with one arm while the other swung lifelessly by his side, head hung low.

Keith barely limped a few steps before his legs gave out. The ground rushed up to meet him, and Keith just shut his eyes and waited for impact. He was too weak to stop it.

"Whoa, jeez, are you alright?"

... That wasn't the ground.

He hadn't noticed his cheek colliding with a wiry chest, thin arms wrapping around his shoulders to steady him. Upon the realisation that someone dared to touch him, Keith snapped his head up, greeted with the face of one of the humans, dark skin and darker hair, small brown dots covering his face, and the brightest blue eyes Keith had ever seen. The human's concerned expression changed into something more sly, red coming into his cheeks as he grinned.

"Well, you didn't even have to _see_ me before you fell for me."

Keith squinted. He didn't understand what that had to do with anything, but two of the other humans reacted with a 'for fucks sake' and 'really, Lance'. He heard the Princess start talking, to him, maybe, he wasn't sure. Sounds were becoming dull, eyes unfocused and dry, eyelids heavy.

"Buddy? Oh, come on, the line wasn't _that_ bad, was it?" Was the last thing Keith heard before plunging into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (for any Skyrim nerds who are fluent in dragon, most of these won't be 100% correct as I used the old translator which isn't completely lore friendly. But hey it's a made up language);
> 
> Phoeb (Altean) - About a day  
> Maasofaniik (Skyrim) - Dick  
> Varga (Altean) - About an hour  
> Draaf ausul (Skyrim) - Shitting hell  
> Tick (Altean) - About a second  
> Firok (Skyrim) - Bastard  
> Malur do draaf vax (Skyrim) - Piece of shit traitor  
> Draaf (Skyrim) - Shit  
> Deca-phoeb (Altean) - Years
> 
> Daedroth (Skyrim) - Basically a big 'ol crocodile that stands on two legs and is buff as hell  
> Tetrao - Scientific name for certain species of fish. Dude looks like a fish  
> Ordata - Phylum name for toads. Dude looks like a toad  
> Wamasu (Skyrim) - Dragon-like animals
> 
> Also, fun fact! Keith's undercover name 'Yurak' is Sendak's name in 80s Voltron
> 
> Thank you to my friend Duskull for beta reading!!


	2. Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is wary of the new addition to their little rag-tag team, but he can't seem to take his eyes off him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL I'M YELLING 122 KUDOS??? ALMOST 1400 HITS???? 22 BOOKMARKS??????? 7 WONDERFUL AMAZING COMMENTS?????????? THANK YOU SO MUCH OMFG
> 
> AND tHANK YOU FOR BEING SO PATIENT ABOUT UPDATES FCCGVHJBK Stuff happened and put this on hold a lot. Speaking of, don't expect another update until around the end of October. I have hsc exams soon so I'm gonna be pretty busy with those :^)
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!! This is from Lance's perspective ovo
> 
> Other links --  
> [Song the chapter title is based off](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZghnAtizTs)

"This is like, the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me!" Hunk screamed in joy as his lion flopped onto its side.  
  
Lance's cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much. Ever since Hunk got his hands on the Yellow Lion - and after they'd both flown back through the wormhole, away from the immediate dangers of the Galra - he'd been failing hilariously in his attempts to pilot it. The huge robot kept flying on its back, rotating, or doing nose dives on the way back to Arus, and neither boy could keep themselves quiet about it. It was a much welcome distraction from all the pessimistic thoughts flying around Lance's head. The cheerful purring in his mind from Blue helped keep him clear of them, but the shadows remained.  
  
"So how's it feel having your own Lion, buddy?" Lance asked, peering at the video feed of Hunk. The sight of his friend giggling and actually enjoying himself made him feel the happiest he'd been since leaving the Garrison that fateful night.  
  
Hunk grinned back a him, and Lance watched the Yellow Lion return to moving in a standard position, before it tumbled sideways again. "It's awesome! Somehow I-I don't feel sick or like I wanna throw up when I'm in here. Which is weird, cuz it happened a lot in your Lion, y'know?"  
  
"I'm aware, Hunk. I haven't had a chance to clean it all yet."  
  
Before Hunk had the chance to apologise, _again_ , Lance maneuvered Blue upside down to cruise beside him, close enough to just bump against Yellow's thick armour. Hunk looked unsure of the action, but his happy expression otherwise didn't change.  
  
"Real talk, how're you doing with... all of this?" The carefree, fun tone to things was something Lance wanted to cherish, but he had to know how Hunk was feeling. He was a sensitive guy, and he hadn't really been handling things too well up to now. Being thrust into the role of a defender of the Universe wasn't something you could settle in to in only a couple hours.  
  
"You mean the space-alien-robot war?" Lance nodded. Hunk bit his lip, looking thoughtful. "I mean, it's still kinda hard to believe? Not that I don't believe the Princess or Coran or anything. It's a hard idea to fight against when I'm in one of the Lions. But it feels so... I dunno. Disconnected? From everything I used to know."  
  
Lance sighed, turning to watch the stars. "I get what you mean." It'd been what, a day, maybe? Since they left Earth. Maybe not even that. And already Lance was feeling homesick.  
  
He really didn't want to acknowledge the lie he was feeding himself. That being homesick wasn't what he felt, but Lance didn't want to name it anything else. In truth, dread would have been a more appropriate word. Dread that he'd never even be able to go back to Earth. To his family. But Lance refused to entertain that idea for long; it turned his stomach into a violent storm just to think of never going home.  
  
"Lance? You alright dude?"  
  
Hunk's soft voice made Lance's eyes shoot open, snapping back to attention like he'd been dunked in ice water. He hadn't noticed himself zoning out, or drifting away from Hunk. The video was still on, Hunk definitely saw the sad face Lance had been pulling, if the concerned look was anything to go by.  
  
Instead of, y'know, telling his best friend in the whole universe the actual truth to get empathy and reassurance, Lance plastered on a big, fake smile.  
  
"Yeah man. Just realising how sore I am from that fight before." He laughed too loud, sounding forced to his own ears as he steered his Lion back toward Yellow.  
  
Hunk didn't seem completely convinced, damn him and his perceptive butt. "You sure? You know you can talk to me about this stuff. I'm in the same boat as you. Well, same Lion. Same ship?" Hunk paused to frown. "You get my point."  
  
_I'm terrified_ , Lance screamed in his head. _I want to go back to Earth. I want my family. I want home._  
  
"Hunk, you're my best friend, you know I wouldn't hide anything from you. I'm fine, promise."  
  
Lance felt sick after seeing Hunk's relieved smile.  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Race ya back to the Castle?" Lance challenged, more genuine as he and Hunk entered Arus' atmosphere.  
  
"Oh, you're on!"  
  
The two righted their Lions, and Hunk managed to keep his stable for the short burst back to the Castle. The tip of one of the towers glowed, opening the hatches for their Lions to cruise into the hangar. Once both Lions were safely parked - after Lance crashed his face first into the far wall since he didn't know how to break and Hunk scraped a whole lot of ground after landing too early - Lance burst through the hatch on Blue's head, arms raised in triumph.  
  
"Ha! I won!"  
  
Hunk's Lion dropped its own head, allowing Hunk to trip his way out from the jaw. "No fair, Lance," He whined, swaying a bit from dizziness. "Your Lion is meant to be faster than mine! Mine's a tank!"  
  
"Being a sore loser is very unbecoming, Hunk." Lance called down, before sliding down Blue's back. He managed to slip off completely by the time he reached her tailbone, landing flat on his ass with a pained _oof_ in front of Hunk. Who just had to lean over him with a damn smug grin.  
  
"Have a nice fall?"  
  
"Meant to do that." Lance mumbled, rubbing his sore behind and taking Hunk's hand so he could get pulled to his feet.  
  
Whether leaving his Lion or falling off her back, or having Hunk pull him to his feet made him realise his injuries, Lance wasn't sure, but the sudden ache in his joints made itself known quite fast once he allowed himself a moment to breathe and relax. Hunk seemed to be having the same experience, scrunching up his face as he slouched over.  
  
"Ugh, I'm just now feeling how sore getting ejected from a spaceship onto hard ground is." Hunk winced, rubbing and pushing his elbows and forearms in a gentle massage. "Still can't believe you did that, by the way."  
  
"Yeah, not to mention the stress trying to fight those Galra by ourselves. I don't think I've ever had so many knots in my back before. I got thrown around like crazy up there." Lance pushed on his lower back, stretching and bending to try and relieve some of the pressure, completely ignoring the last part of Hunk's words. He'd apologise properly later with some good ol' fashioned hang out time.  
  
Groaning as cramps and throbbing pain settled in, they trudged their way back to the bridge to meet up with everyone, forgoing conversation. Lance started getting pains in places he didn't even know existed once his adrenaline, fear, and excitement all began fizzling out at once. Felt like water spinning down a drain.  
  
Briefly, Lance wondered if Pidge and Shiro had as much crap luck as he and Hunk while getting their hands on the Green Lion. Hopefully not - Lance had the Blue Lion to deal with any trouble, Shiro and Pidge didn't have anything if they landed on a Galra controlled planet, or ran into any hostile life. That idea opened up a whole new stream of thoughts that did nothing but make Lance feel dizzy, and this time, he didn't have Blue to help get rid of them.  
  
The automatic doors opened with a hiss once they drew near. Lance let out a long, drawn out sigh, popping his shoulder and cracking his back as the others turned to face them. Okay, _maybe_ playing up the injuries wasn't the greatest idea, but the new flash of pain distracted him from less pleasant things, so it'd have to do for now.  
  
Allura looked like she'd been hunched over her control board, but she stood straight once they walked in, relief washing over her face. "Oh, you made it!"  
  
Lance felt himself blush the smallest bit at her worry. "Just barely, it was a nightmare out there. I felt so sick, I felt like Hunk."  
  
"How do you think I felt, man? I am Hunk." Hunk huffed, thumping Lance's shoulder. The light pressure hit out a cramp forming near his neck, so Lance wasn't complaining much. "Not to mention, you kinda threw me out of the mouth of your Lion and let me roll like, nine metres on hard ground. While angry aliens shot at me." Allura sighed at that information. "No, I'm not letting that go, Lance. Ever."  
  
Lance couldn't help but snicker, he knew Hunk wasn't really mad at him. It made Lance feel better, since he did feel bad about having his Lion cough out Hunk, but things worked out fine, right? "How'd things go for you guys, though?" He asked Pidge and Shiro. His eyes narrowed a little after seeing they looked completely unscathed. Yeah sure, he didn't want them dealing with any Galra or anything, but he didn't want them to get such an incredibly easy job either. Fairness and all that.  
  
"Yeaaah, we had a tough time too." Pidge grinned, sending a sneaky, pleased look to Shiro, who only gave an apologetic shrug in return. Those lying jerks, Lance just _knew_ getting the Green Lion was a walk in the park for them. Meanwhile he felt like he'd been hit by one of the Lions.  
  
"Any word about the Red Lion?" Hunk asked, stepping forward to where Coran had a holoscreen pulled up to get a better view of it, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Know where it is?"  
  
Allura's serene smile at their antics fell, her eyelids drooping as her gaze shifted to the side. "No, unfortunately. Either she's too far away from us, or-"  
  
A sudden, sharp shout from Coran broke through their conversation, making Hunk and Pidge jump in surprise and Lance clutch his chest from the unexpected heart attack it gave him. Shiro rested a hand on Lance's shoulder to steady him before he could fall back or roll up his sleeve.  "Princess! We've got a signal from the Red Lion!"  
  
Allura's already bright eyes lit up as she rushed to pull up a holoscreen, any previous sadness brushed away. "Oh, this is wonderful! Is she nearby?" She asked. The excited tone was clear, close to being infectious.  
  
A static filled video popped up on the large Castle windows, casting them all in shadow. It made Coran hum in annoyance, hunching over his screen as he moved things around. "The signal's strangely weak, but I think she's coming into the atmosphere now. I'll try and connect to her audio channel to see if she has a Paladin we can speak to."  
  
Lance whistled. "Well, three birds, one stone." Find the Red Lion, check. Find a paladin, check. Get both together to get the Black Lion to get Voltron, check. Easy as anything.  
  
So of course someone had to be a spoilsport.  
  
"We shouldn't be so lax." Shiro, _of course_ , responded, folding his arms as he stepped closer to the screen with Pidge and Hunk, despite the lack of any visuals. "It could be a trap. A way to make us let down our guard so whoever can take the other Lions."  
  
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Lance shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. No one could appreciate the fact they had the Red Lion and the person who could fly it, could they?  
  
"Yeah, the Galra or whoever would know by now what Lance did to their ship." Pidge stated, pushing up his glasses, peering at all the data flying across Coran's screen as he peered over - or well, around - Coran. "Even if the ship got destroyed, others would have to be aware that the Lions are back up by now."  
  
... Comforting. Made Lance feel great about blowing the everloving crud out of the aliens. He put on his best pout despite no one looking at him.  
  
Hunk inched his way behind Lance, his hands like vices on Lance's already sore shoulders. "Which means, what, they-they'll come here? We have all the Lions in one spot now, that's, like, a huge recipe for disaster."  
  
"Relax, big guy." Lance soothed, patting one of his hands and holding onto his wrist. Hunk's big body behind his gave Lance a weird form of reassurance if the Galra did somehow find them already, despite the fact Hunk was panicking over it. Maybe because Lance knew he wasn't alone in facing all this trouble. "We still have the advantage, so if they do sho-"  
  
"Hush!" Allura's voice rang out, razor sharp. Hunk shrunk behind Lance even more, as all eyes focused on the feed ahead of them, a loud static sound filling the room.  
  
"Alright, we should have access to the Red Lion now. Audio only I'm afraid, but it's the most we can do with the Castle in this condition." Coran said, making a few more final adjustments before standing straight, hands folded behind his back. "When you're ready, Princess."  
  
"Hello? Hello? Red Paladin, are you there?" The words barely left Coran's mouth before Allura called out, not wasting any time.  
  
An immediate loud thump was all the Princess got in reply, followed by a groan.  
  
_"Ow, yes, hello?"_  
  
"Nice first impression." Pidge snorted, voice low so as to not interrupt.  
  
Lance stifled a laugh at that. He seemed to be the only one who noticed Pidge's comment, everyone else had their attention glued to the empty video feed. At least Hunk stopped shaking, and released his tight hold on Lance's shoulders, so he could actually begin to feel them again.  
  
But even with the less than exciting introduction, Allura was giddy with happiness. Now that did make him smile. "Oh, excellent! Hello, Paladin! We thought the Red Lion had been lost, but not only have we found her, we have her Paladin too! What is your name?"  
  
_"Keith."_  
  
... Strange name. Hunk looked down at Lance the same time Lance looked up at him, letting out a muffled noise of confusion. Least he wasn't the only one who thought that was off. It was an old name by human standards, and an alien had it? If this person even was an alien.  
  
And if not, that made them a human. Which just raised further questions, really.  
  
"It is an honour to meet you, Keith. I am Princess Allura of Altea."  
  
_"Altea? But- How? That planet got destroyed deca-phoebs ago."_  
  
"Yes, but..." Lance watched Allura's ears lower, Coran's eyes widening before he turned away, leaning heavily on the control board. Both hardened their expressions, but the sudden rigid shake to them wasn't missed. It made Lance worry enough to stop wondering what the heck a deca-phoeb was. "We have many things to discuss, Keith. Please, land your Lion so we all may meet."  
  
_"'All'?"_  
  
"Yes, the other Paladins of Voltron."  
  
A pause.  
  
_"I'm not really flying the Lion, if I'm being honest. It flew me here on its own. It was... a tough battle, getting this thing out from a Galra warship."_  
  
Before Allura even had the chance to reply, Coran shot over. "What!? The Galra had the Red Lion!?"  
  
_"Well, not anymore. Uh, hang on, I think the Lion's coming down."_  
  
The audio broke off and the static feed disappeared, leaving them all in a stunned silence, blinking at the sudden flood of light. Yet they all seemed to reach the same conclusion. Allura and Coran were the first to move, giving each other a mysterious look before they rushed from the room, Allura's cape flowing behind her, hands lifting her dress as she ran. Shiro wasn't too far behind, and it took Pidge tugging at Hunk's jacket to get he and Lance to follow.  
  
As a loud, nervous group, they ran from the bridge and down a bunch of similar halls before they got somewhere Lance recognised. The 'somewhere' just happened to be the spacious entryway to the Castle. In his defense, half the Castle had the same decor, it was hard to tell things apart.  
  
But at the sight of the Castle doors, they all broke out in chatter.  
  
"I wonder how the Lion got with the Galra." Shiro asked no one in particular, sounding distant.  
  
Pidge's glasses slipped off his face as he ran, he barely managed to catch them without slowing. "I wonder who the hell found it and got it away from them!"  
  
"I'm wondering if the Galra will come after it." Hunk wheezed, lagging behind as a familiar anxiety washed over him.  
  
Lance smiled back at Hunk, slowing to match his pace.  "Least we can make Voltron now! One less thing to worry about, right man?"  
  
"Paladins, please!"  
  
They all skidded to a stop at the large doors, with Lance almost sliding over and onto his behind. Allura stood firm with her hands pressed against doors, but not opening them, Coran by her side.  
  
"Regardless of how the Red Lion was freed, or how it was captured, we must be professional. And on our guard. We... We can't be sure this is a completely friendly visit, as much as I don't like to admit it."  
  
Lance pouted, but it was an understandable caution. Especially after all she'd said she and Coran had gone through. Still, he could tell Allura felt excited. She had that barely-contained-happiness vibe about her. Calmly, Allura pushed at the doors, stepping out into the warm breeze. Lance couldn't help himself, jogging out past her into the courtyard. He shielded his eyes from the sun, watching the small figure of the Red Lion fly closer and closer.  
  
"Anyone else feeling nervous, or is this a me thing again?" Hunk asked nervously. Lance saw Pidge pat his arm in reassurance as they grouped together. Allura, Coran, and Shiro all had their eyes firmly trained on the Lion as it approached, while Hunk moved closer to Pidge. Pidge gripped the sleeve of Hunk's shirt as he did so, not that Hunk appeared to notice much.  
  
Realising he was the lone one standing at the front, Lance quickly hopped back in step beside his friends. Lance found it hard to feel too anxious, the prospect of forming Voltron and getting this war with the Galra over with and going back home was far too appealing to him at the moment.  
  
Sharp gusts of wind pelted them as the Red Lion landed, dropping onto the ground with a harsh thud that shook the earth. Allura approached warily, Shiro and Coran close behind, stopping once the Lion lowered its head, opening massive jaws for its apparent new Paladin to walk out.  
  
Well, limp out rather, the purple alien appeared to be covered in still bleeding wounds and had blood splatters all over their armour. Coran and Allura both gasped, and Lance heard Pidge let out a shocked squeak, but he was mostly focused on the fact that the alien looked like they were about to pass out.  
  
Lance darted forward with his arms outstretched after noticing the alien stutter, careful not to bump the guy's ribs too harshly as he fell into him, pushing him into an almost upright position before he could get too comfortable. The alien had his head pressed up against Lance's chest, body limp, until he seemed to realise a stranger was holding him. He moved his head up so fast Lance was worried he might twist something.  
  
Then Lance was gazing into surprised, bright yellow eyes and he felt something flip in his belly. Purple fur, thinned lighter on both cheeks, nose, and chin, and tufts of dark purple, almost black hair tickled Lance's nose. Two long, fluffy ears were held down as the alien scowled - or maybe not, this could be his resting face for all Lance knew. And in that case, ha. Lance felt his face heat up, but he smiled charmingly regardless.  
  
"Well, you didn't even have to _see_ me before you fell for me."  
  
The alien looked confused. Unfortunate, that was the best pick up line Lance had thought of in a while. But his friends reacted well. Pidge's swearing, Hunk's groan, and Shiro's sigh absolutely did not go unnoticed.  
  
And then the alien's eyes were drooping and his head lolled forward until he was still in Lance's arms.  
  
"Buddy? Oh, come on, the line wasn't _that_ bad, was it?"  
  
"Yes, Lance. Yes it was." Pidge said dryly.  
  
Lance stuck his tongue out at Pidge, hoisting the alien up so he could get a better grip on him. Small or not, he was damn heavy. He settled on wrapping his arms around the Galra's thin waist, so he leaned fully on Lance without the risk of slipping off. Even so, Lance didn't know how long he could hold him like this.  
  
"That- He is- _Galra_." Allura whispered, so quietly, she almost went unheard. Almost. Alarm bells sounded off in Lance's head at the mention of the G word. "A Galra brought us the Red Li-"  
  
"Hold up, you mean to tell me I'm cradling someone of the species that's trying to kill us!?" Lance didn't mean to interrupt, but it kinda stung that no one came forward to remove the possibly dangerous alien from his hold once that realisation hit them all. Though, if this Galra willingly went out to find them despite knowing the risk, they couldn't be too bad?  
  
... Right?  
  
"Come, we need to get him in a healing pod. I do wish to question him once he's sufficiently healed." Allura said, examining the Galra's crumpled body with narrowed eyes. "It's... something, that a Galra flew the Red Lion off a Galra war ship."  
  
"... Can somebody help me with him?" Like heck was Lance hauling a furry alien's body back into that maze of a castle all on his own. He doubted he'd even be able to drag them through the front door. "Like, grab the legs and tail - oh he has a tail - anyway, he's heavy. Help."  
  
Hunk, despite the obvious hesitance, made his way over to Lance to take some of the weight. The Galra's head flopped forward as Hunk positioned his arms around his and Lance's shoulders, and with the joint effort, it wasn't difficult to carry him. Heck, Hunk could've done it all himself if he wanted to.  
  
"There has to something else, more to his side of the story. " Shiro said, arms folded as he spoke to the two Alteans. He watched Lance and Hunk carry the Galra with little trouble, but stood by at the ready if needed. "But not much we can do until they're conscious again, I guess."  
  
Allura seemed apprehensive when the Galra - _Keith_ , Lance remembered, how could he forget a name like that - passed under the entryway, but remained quiet as she walked the Paladins to the healing pod chamber. Coran wasn't too far behind her, glancing between the Princess and Keith from time to time.  
  
All this did have to be rough and confusing for them. The Galra destroyed their home and everyone they knew, and now a seemingly good one was here with their technology. Lance could only imagine how intense that felt, if something like that happened to Earth...  
  
He stopped himself then and there. Think of other things. The dull ache in his muscles, the weight of the Galra across his shoulders, the blister forming on the back of his heel from all the walking.  
  
For all the fun it was finding big animal spaceships, Lance had been doing an awful lot of walking lately. And man, did the treck back through the Castle seem longer this time, which meant hey, _more walking_.  
  
Coran walked to the control panel once they finally stepped into the Nurse's Office, as Lance had dubbed it, lifting one pod up with the quick press of a button on the holoscreen. Lance slid out from under Keith, giving Hunk the task of dropping him in the healing pod as it opened, a clear steam hissing out from it. Once it was closed and activated, a light hum filled the room, the pod soon glowing a soft blue-green.  
  
"Coran, how long until he's sufficiently healed?" Allura asked, waiting beside him at the control board. She looked tired now, almost as if her energy had been drained. Heck, maybe it had been.  
  
Pulling at the tips of his moustache, Coran hummed, watching Keith's suspended form. "About a quintant for a full recovery. But for the worst of the injuries to close over properly, roughly three to four vargas. He'll be sore and have some scarring, but bleeding or infection won't be an issue."  
  
"He got maimed trying to get the Red Lion, huh?" Eyes wide and observant, Pidge approached Keith with careful steps, until he was close enough to brush his knuckles against the front of the healing pod. "That armour is Galra, right? It has to be pretty tough, and it got torn like it's made of cloth."  
  
"H-He's got blood. On his face, I just noticed. Anyone else feeling weird about that? No? Just me?"  
  
"Y'know, I was expecting Galra to be taller."  
  
"They are, from what I remember. This one is much smaller than the others I saw."  
  
"Hey, he's not a rootworm circus! You lot don't need to stay here and watch him with your faces up against the glass." Coran scolded, ushering the four back. "He'll be out in three vargas. The Princess and I will stay here, you all are free to explore the Castle in the meantime. Just don't touch anything, we still need to get this place back into tip-top shape, and we don't need to add any other broken equipment to the list!"  
  
"Coran, my man, there's an alien sitting two feet away from us. You expect three human teenagers-"  
  
"Ah, I'm here too."  
  
"-three human teenagers and human Shiro to just _not_ wanna stare at him?" Lance asked, already turning back to watch the pod. Keith looked relaxed, a nice change from the scowl Lance last saw him with. His features were softer. It made him a lot easier to stare at, if Lance was being honest. He looked at Coran, eyebrows raised as if he somehow proved his point. Lance himself wasn't quite sure what point he was trying to make, but regardless, it was there.  
  
Coran just ruffled his moustache.  
  
"The kitchen and training deck are upstairs near the bridge, the Lions' hangar is on the far side of the castle, and you each have your own rooms in the sleeping hall, also upstairs."  
  
"Well, Coran, you put up a harsh fight, but I just don't think we'll be staying, as much as you're insisting we do." Lance called out, already halfway out the door shooting finger guns at him.  
  
The others, with varying degrees of reluctance, followed him from the room. Lance heard Allura laugh before the doors shut behind them, the sound almost too delicate for the situation they'd all gotten themselves stuck in. Sucking in a breath, Lance pushed down the vague mist of loneliness and fear, talking with his friends about what the heck they'd occupy themselves with for however long three vargas was.  
  
\--  
  
Being almost alone gave Lance a chance to evaluate some things. And by 'some things', he was still trying to fully come to terms with being chosen by a big mechanical lion that could fly through space and fight against aliens trying to take over the universe. Stuff like that didn't really settle overnight. If night had even passed at this point.  
  
Space was way too screwy on Lance's internal clock.  
  
Lance sighed, dropping his pillow on his face. His bed wasn't even that comfortable.  
  
After Coran told them they had their own rooms, Lance needed to seek that out for some much needed personal time. And as it turned out, they had designated rooms. Which only minutely upset Lance, since he ran into Pidge's room first to claim it and the bed as his, only to be forced to get back up to go to his actual room.  
  
But he couldn't complain too much. He had a pair of fuzzy Blue Lion slippers. And a whole section of the sleeping hall to himself; Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge all had rooms on the other side, and the Alteans both had their own rooms elsewhere. He'd discovered that after Shiro, too, found how every hall looked the same, leaving them wandering around lost and running into all the wrong rooms. Three vargas could have already passed in the time it took Pidge to lead them back to the places they were meant to be.  
  
Speaking of the little Green Paladin...  
  
Lance lifted his pillow to see Pidge still seated beside his bed on the floor, leaning back against the mattress, tapping away at the laptop he managed to keep in one piece. Lance didn't understand a thing on the screen, so he dropped the pillow again, shutting his eyes.  
  
He didn't know why Pidge decided to join him - he never said - but Lance would be lying if he said the company was unwelcome. Talking about his feelings wasn't what Lance wanted, but just sharing space with a friend helped his loneliness plenty. Lance didn't even think he could talk to Pidge if he tried, not that he didn't trust the little guy, but Lance didn't want to saddle Pidge with his own problems. Pidge faced the same dilemma Lance did, of being apart from his family, not knowing if he'd ever get to see them again.  
  
That's why Lance didn't tell Hunk about how he was - or wasn't, rather - dealing with everything. Hunk had his own anxieties to worry about. He was probably stress-baking in the Castle kitchen anyway, poor guy. But that's what worked to help him relax. It reminded him of his family, Hunk told Lance once. His mothers always made him cookies when he was sad as a kid.  
  
Wait, family. No. No no no. Bad topic. Rethink everything that lead to that thought and redo it all. Think about Pidge. Being lonely. Whales. Sharks. Water.  
  
_"Paladins, please return to the healing pods. The Galra is ready to wake up!"_  
  
The crackle of the intercom made Coran's booming voice even louder, and it, for lack of a better word, scared the everloving crap out of both Lance and Pidge. Lance startled enough out of a daydream he forced himself in to slip off the bed, narrowly avoiding a frozen Pidge.  
  
"I am sending a very strongly worded letter to that man at some point." Lance mumbled, voice muffled by the tile floor that acted as a very uncomfortable landing mat.  
  
Pidge helped drag Lance to his feet, cursing under his breath all the while. "Seconded. I was just starting to feel comfortable before that." Lance was tempted to just lay on the floor and see if Pidge could pull him down the hallway, but he decided to save that idea for another time when his shoulders weren't close to dislocating.  
  
After the emotional and physical shock wore off, Pidge, being the only one who seemed to know how to navigate the Castle, lead Lance to collect Shiro and Hunk from what appeared to be a lounge room, the two sitting on large lounges that Lance guessed were a great deal more comfortable than his bed, before returning them to the Nurse's Office. Lance felt a little happier at this, he wanted to see the Galra again. Call him weird for it, but he was interested. If he was gonna be stuck in space, might as well learn about it.  
  
Coran stood outside the room, waiting, before gesturing for them to go step inside without a word. Maybe it was just a trick of the cool green light, but Coran's face was paler than Lance remembered, dark circles under his eyes more prominent.  
  
Keith was just as he'd been before, eyes closed, unmoving as he floated in the pod. Allura watched him intently, regardless of the lack of movement, as if she expected him to break out at any minute.  
  
"He's just about done, give or take a few ticks." Coran said, the usual content tune to his voice no longer present, shutting the door and quickly stepping to the middle of the room. "All of you stay back. He's most likely going to be confused and disoriented, we don't need to make things worse by crowding around and making him panic."  
  
If Shiro noticed Lance, Hunk, and Pidge each take a small step behind him, he didn't mention it.  
  
With a swipe across the holoscreen, the pod door flittered away, letting the poor Galra topple forward. Coran's strong grip was the only thing stopping him from falling completely. Bright yellow eyes seemed to light up the room as they blinked open, and it took the Keith all of two seconds to freeze at the unfamiliar surroundings, eyes wide and long ears raised.  
  
It was a slow, heavy moment before he threw himself away from Coran, backing up against the healing pod, ears pinned down to the sides of his head. Coran had his arms up to show he was unarmed and not a threat, in a manner similar to how Lance used to approach stray cats. Though that usually ended with Lance getting his legs and arms all scratched up, so it was a safe assumption that he was fearing for Coran's life. Keith responded to the action with a deep, deep growl that had Lance's chest knotting up, lips curled up in a voiceless snarl.  
  
Slowly, Coran lowered his arms, Keith's head following the movement until his hands were clenched by his sides again. "It's alright, we're not going to hurt you." Coran assured Keith, voice both calm and commanding.  
  
Body relaxing ever so slightly, Keith looked up again, tail flicking out to the side. He'd stopped growling, thank God, but his eyes were still wide and full of fear, clawed hands gripping tight to the healing pods, almost puncturing the metal.  
  
Allura cleared her throat, the Galra's ears angling toward her at the noise before he faced her. "You flew the Red Lion here, correct?"  
  
Keith paused, before lifting his chin to give a slight nod.  
  
"She... let you in, Keith?" Allura sounded surprised. Which was fair, Lance assumed. She'd told them all already that the Lions were picky about who they let fly them, and they shared traits with the Paladins they'd chosen. Though she hadn't gotten around to explaining who the Red Lion and Red Paladin were, unlike Inquisitive Pidge, Protective Hunk, and Decisive Shiro.  
  
"The Lion?" Keith asked, visibly mulling over Allura's question. "Yes, it did. I didn't plan on getting in it, but it saved me. From the Galra on the warship." His voice sounded different than it had through the audio channel. More deep and scratchy, like he'd just woken up. Some time being comatose did that to you.  
  
Allura shared a look with Coran, uneasy and indecipherable as they let Keith's words sink in. "Then, you are a Paladin of Voltron." It sounded like not even she could believe herself.  
  
God, the tension in the room was thick enough to physically _feel_.  
  
Lance had to do something to lighten the mood. "That makes you one of us, right? Part of our team." He tried, resisting the urge to run straight through the closest wall when all eyes turned to him. Keith's aimless stare burned into him as his tail swung around. Lance felt his own invisible tail tuck right between his legs.  
  
"Yes, I suppose it does, Lance." Coran, bless him, said, snapping out of wherever his previous thoughts took him. He stretched out the collar on his coat, before fiddling around with the stitching. "Keith, we do have some questions we'd like to ask. If you don't mind."  
  
Keith curled in on himself, breathing heavy. One arm moved across his abdomen, claws digging into the shreds of his armour. "You may. As long as I can do the same."  
  
And Lance tuned the heck out. Not on purpose, really. Sure, he cared about the enemy having one of the Lions, but now that it was out of their hands and in the safe care of the Princess and her Advisor, what was there to worry about? Plus, he was a lot more focused on the alien in front of him.  
  
Keith shifted his weight off one leg, pulling his arm tighter against his ribs. All the wounds from before had gotten healed up, but Keith was still in obvious pain. As he spoke, he seemed to almost struggle for breath, the wheezing only getting worse after Keith let out a bitter laugh in response to something Allura asked. His eyes were so... distracting, too. The pure yellow should make him look detached and unapproachable, but they just didn't. If anything, it was easier to tell how he felt, the fear of being in strange territory evident in his eyes.  
  
Lance jolted after watching Keith's head turn his direction. He could be staring at anything in that area, but Lance felt like he'd been caught anyway. Resisting the urge to start whistling that innocently-suspicious tune, Lance gazed up at the high ceiling, before dropping down to the Princess. She looked exhausted, and Lance assumed her questioning was all done.  
  
After Lance focused back on the conversation, Coran sighed, stroking his chin. "Well, this is all still useful information. If there's another force out there slowing Zarkon, the better. We'll have to find some way contact the Blades of Marmora at some point, when we get ourselves sorted out. Your order must be worried about you, too."  
  
Oh. Maybe Lance should have been paying attention. There were at least four different things he didn't understand from Coran's words. He'd have to remember to ask Hunk or Pidge for a run down later.  
  
"Oh, you said you had some questions, didn't you, Keith?"  
  
"I do, but I will wait before asking them. I..." Keith let out a wet, scratchy breath, adjusting the arm around his chest so it pressed more on his fur. "I'd like to rest, if I'm able."  
  
"You all should get some rest." Allura said, sounding as worn out as her appearance suggested. "We won't be doing much, with the castle in such a weak state. It'll be a quintant or two before we're up to an acceptable level of repairs. You..." She faltered as she glanced at Keith, and it didn't go unnoticed, the Galra tensing up in a defensive stance. "You have free roam of most of the upper floor. Do get settled in."  
  
After that awkward sign of dismissal, Keith was the first to move, heaving himself away from the healing pod. Lance would be the first to admit he was hesitant as Keith approached them, but the way the Galra slumped over, holding tight to his ribcage, made Lance concerned enough to replace any other worries he might have had. But Keith wasn't limping or bleeding anymore, that was always a good sign.  
  
Before Keith got close, Shiro leaned down, drawing their attention to him. "You three show Keith to his room. I need to speak to the Princess, I'll be up soon." He murmured, sidestepping Keith in order to approach the two Alteans.  
  
Lance opened his mouth to begin protesting about Shiro getting a cop out, before reconsidering. It wasn't worth going all overdramatic about; everyone was tired and on edge, especially with the newest edition in their ranks. So Lance shut his jaw and obediently turned on his heel and walked out, waiting for Hunk and Pidge to join him. Pidge did at least, sparing a worried look over his shoulder, but Hunk was slower to move, watching Keith in concern.  
  
"D'you, uh... Need some help?" He asked, hands tucked close to his chest as he fiddled with his fingernails.  
  
Keith seemed surprised, before he huffed and twisted his body away. "No, thank you. I'll be fine." He replied, voice quieter than before.  
  
"I think there's an elevator we can take to the next floor," Pidge said, rushing to fill the lull in conversation. "So you don't have to worry about stairs. Should be this way." He, once again, took the lead down the hallway. How Pidge had such a knack for direction, Lance will never know.  
  
He fell in step with Hunk, Keith hobbling along in front of them. The Galra's posture was rigid, ears twitching at every noise, tail flicking about restlessly. It reminded Lance of a cat on high alert, poised and ready to strike at anything that posed a threat.  
  
Well, that simply wouldn't do.  
  
Coughing so Keith would know to expect him and not claw his eyes out, Lance took two extra large steps to walk beside him, hands casually shoved in the pockets on his jacket. Keith eyed him with suspicion, saying nothing at the sudden arrival. While he did draw away from Lance, he didn't look as agitated, so Lance considered that a plus. Lance resisted the urge to speak until Pidge found the elevator, and they all packed in.  
  
"Keith, you feeling any better?" Lance couldn't stop himself from asking. Keith's breathing sounded too rattled to be healthy, not to mention how he winced with almost every step. The healing pods didn't seem too great if they allowed that kind of oversight.  
  
Keith peered down at the floor. Shy, huh? "I guess. Just tired and sore." He mumbled, almost too quiet to hear.  
  
"How long were you on that ship for?" Pidge asked, hand hovering over a panel of buttons on the wall before deciding on one to hit. The elevator shuddered, shaking upwards before the ascent smoothed out.  
  
"... Not long." Keith replied, after some delay. "I wasn't allowed to stay for too long. Too dangerous."  
  
The rest of the ride up was filled with a heavy silence, broken only by Keith's ragged breaths. Man, now Lance was even more intrigued by the guy. When he didn't sound like he was dying, Lance needed to get him to elaborate on his time on that warship. And by the way Pidge fidgeted in place, he desperately wanted to know too.  
  
After a few worrying jolts that had Lance sweating, the elevator stopped. The doors almost got stuck half open to Lance's horror, before Keith got fed up and pushed them open with his shoulders, almost making himself fall over from the force of it. The minor hindrance seemed to make his mood sour, the frown on his furry face offset after Hunk and Pidge squeezed out their quiet 'thank you's.  
  
After all escaping from that deathtrap of an elevator, Lance let out a low whistle, folding his arms behind his head. Being angry wouldn't help Keith much in getting over his injuries. A good distraction was in order, and Lance was perfect at that.  
  
"Just how many of you Marmies are out there, anyway?" Lance asked as they strolled down the hall to the Paladin's sleeping quarters, him beside Keith, Hunk and Pidge together up ahead. Hunk kept taking peeks back at the two of them, only stopping to whisper not-so-discreetly to Pidge after Lance sent him a little wave to know he caught him.  
  
Nothing else seemed to catch Keith's attention as fast as referring to his group like that. "... How many of who?" Keith asked, slow as if he were talking to a child. He had one ear up, the other down, like a confused puppy.  
  
"Marmies. Marmora. Blades of Marmora." Lance replied, gesturing with his arm to further get his point across. Doing that usually worked, most of the time, but it only gave him a head tilt from Keith. "It's a long title to say a lot, you gotta admit. Gotta simplify."  
  
Keith frowned, blinking a couple times as he jutted out his lower lip the smallest bit. "We're a group of highly trained fighters worthy of being called better things than 'Marmies'."  
  
"If you say so. You'd be a little scary, but you're pouting, soooo." Lance exaggerated his last word, almost singing it out. The fact that Keith could only respond by pouting more made Lance forget he was teasing an alien that was very capable of tearing him in half.  
  
"I'm not pouting. This is just my face."  
  
"No, you're pouting and it's adorable."  
  
Keith muttered something under his breath. "I'm _not_ adorab-"  
  
Pidge waved his arms in front of the two to break up their conversation, and Lance noticed they already arrived at their rooms. "And we're here! I'm sorry, but your room is next to Lance's."  
  
"Hey!" Lance exclaimed, pointing a finger down at Pidge's smug little face. "Don't say that as if it's a bad thing!"  
  
"Now who's pouting?" He heard Keith murmur. Was that his way of indirectly calling Lance cute? Even if it wasn't, Lance was counting it.  
  
Pidge continued on talking to Keith, ignoring Lance's protests. "We're just across the way if you need us. Kitchen and bathroom are down the hall, the living room is the other way."  
  
Keith didn't seem prepared to talk to Pidge head on, ears dropping back down as he glanced at him. "... Thank you. I think I will rest now." He said, relieved at the escape his room gave him after Pidge opened the doors.  
  
Lance spared a quick glance up and down Keith's hunched over form before he moved, grimacing. He barely tolerated going to bed with oily hair, yet here Keith was, looking ready to pass out while still covered in sweat and grime from earlier fighting. "Y'know, I think you should shower or something before you take a nap. You got a little... everywhere." Lance pointed out, nodding at Keith's... everything.  
  
Keith paused to look down at himself. With the closer view, all of his wounds had been healed nicely, from what Lance could tell, the only remains of some being small scars that would fade with time. But blood remained, staining his armour and clogging up his fur in a way that couldn't be too comfortable.  
  
A weight on his arm surprised Lance, tugging at him until he took a step backwards. "Well either way, we'll leave you to it. Get some rest and all that, you know where to find us!" Hunk said, a little too quick, before he practically pulled Lance and Pidge down to the living space by the hoods of their jackets. Lance managed to turn himself around enough, to find Keith watching on.  His expression was unreadable, but he didn't seem as stiff as before. Without a word, Keith stepped into his room, the automatic doors creaking shut behind him.  
  
Lance hummed, before allowing himself to slide along the floor, held up by Hunk's hand on his back.  
  
Things in space were sure getting interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my friend Duskull for beta reading!!
> 
> Also I went back and revised some stuff from the last chapter, nothing too major, just fixed some sentences


End file.
